Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and San Vicente

For one person, living is cheaper in San Vicente: $815 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in San Vicente
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San Vicente Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

San Vicente

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$815

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in San Vicente

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in San Vicente actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $815 in San Vicente.

Phuket $1,294
San Vicente $815

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,310 in San Vicente.

Phuket $2,204
San Vicente $1,310

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,806 in San Vicente.

Phuket $3,115
San Vicente $1,806

Living in Phuket is roughly 59% more expensive than in San Vicente, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, San Vicente 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$6.87 $6.87

-36.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$45.20 $45.20

-28.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$6.89 $6.89

26.27%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$3.61 $3.61

-24.65%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 ฿31.39

$1.17 $1.17

-20.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.80 $0.80

-37.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$2.06 $2.06

22.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.59 $3.59

1.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.89 $1.89

-7.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$2.79 $2.79

-48.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.39 $1.39

7.91%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$3.07 $3.07

-29.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$7.54 $7.54

153.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$7.08 $7.08

-51.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$10.42 $10.42

4.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$5.02 $5.02

-41.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.43 $1.43

18.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$2.55 $2.55

-14.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$3.35 $3.35

-36.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$2.89 $2.89

-49.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$3.38 $3.38

-59.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$0.95 $0.95

13.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$1.00 $1.00

-45.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$3.98 $3.98

11.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$12.03 $12.03

51.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$2.28 $2.28

-22.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$2.95 $2.95

-2.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$6.04 $6.04

-75.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$2.94 $2.94

-73.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

$19.70 $19.70

-80.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.25 $1.25

19.20%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$25.5K $25.5K

5.60%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$27.5K $27.5K

-4.32%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$97.8 ฿3,300

$132 $132

-25.72%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.29 ฿381

$21.65 $21.65

-47.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$42.85 $42.85

-59.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$5.04 $5.04

47.42%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$530 ฿17.9K

$165 $165

220.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$4,759 $4,759

294.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$67.6 $67.6

-8.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$46.84 $46.84

-39.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$118 $118

-18.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$116 $116

-25.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.5

-34.47%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Vicente: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

San Vicente

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

San Vicente

$287 35.2% 7.6% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

San Vicente

$196 24.1% 55.3% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

San Vicente

$157 19.2% 27.7% $34

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

San Vicente

$144 17.7% 20.8% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

San Vicente

$10 * 1.2% 87.9% $73

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

San Vicente

$21 * 2.5% 68.6% $45

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $45 in San Vicente for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $287 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇻 San Vicente

🕒 Local time

05:03 5:03 AM

16:03 4:03 PM

13 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

41,504

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket San Vicente 17,490 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
San Vicente

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Phuket vs San Vicente: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Vicente is about 37% cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,223 in San Vicente to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $165 in San Vicente. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $45 in San Vicente. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $815 in San Vicente versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in San Vicente but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes San Vicente the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Phuket and San Vicente are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.